Guild members will soon be receiving a survey designed to strengthen our union and refocus our efforts on the priorities and needs of its membership. By canvassing our Guild community, we hope to find new and creative ways to keep everyone informed, interested and active.
Having weathered a difficult few months at the start of the year, the work done by the Guild is more important than ever. We ask that everyone promptly complete and return the one-page survey they receive from their Guild representative.
The questionnaire is just one, initial component of a larger “Build the Guild†plan to check on and improve the health of our organization. We want our organization to be a useful resource for our members day in and day out, not just around contract negotiation time.
The responses you give will become the basis of any restructuring we undertake as a union. We hope the results will tell us how to build on our strengths and remedy our weaknesses. And let’s face it, every organization has some.
Despite the many challenges this Guild has faced, the commitment of its membership and the willingness to take part in Guild activities and mobilization efforts been its greatest strength.
Just as many of your participated in job actions during our last, intense round of negotiations with management, we hope you’ll fill out the survey and give serious thought to becoming a more active and engaged part of the organization.
Frankly, there’s a lot more work for the Guild to do, and a shortage of people with the time and ability to do them. As Guild finances get tighter, the need for creative thinking and positive energy becomes more important than ever.
Sandy Tan, Vice President for Mobilization
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 